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Sustainable Design Foundation at Pratt Institute

The Sustainable Design Foundation short course at Pratt Institute in New York City combines practical and theoretical skills to teach sustainable design principles.


School: Pratt Institute, School of Continuing and Professional Studies
Course: Sustainable Design Foundation
Location: New York City, USA
Course dates: September 2023
Application deadline: 15 August 2023

Study the basic principles of sustainable design thinking, design vocabulary and composition. Advance through a series of exercises that test and question sustainable strategies, practicing expressing ideas not only through spoken and written words but through drawing and other forms of visual communication.

The course combines historically-based lectures with open discussion, project-based studio/lab time, critique of student work, and a basic introduction to preparing presentations and portfolios.

This course is an introduction to sustainable design for learners with or without prior design experience. This course can be taken individually in the fall or spring, or can serve as the prerequisite for the Sustainable Design Certificate program.

In the summer, there is an equivalent course called Sustainable Design Foundation Intensive offered as a two-week intensive.

Students with experience in sustainable design are encouraged to submit a digital portfolio of four to seven pieces to [email protected] 10 business days prior to the class start date.

Those with experience only in sustainability or design are also welcome to submit portfolios to give instructors a better idea of the student's level of experience. There are five required courses in the certificate program.

Supplementary sessions in IT skills and coding are also provided alongside opportunities for internships and further postgraduate studies.

Spatial Design MA graduates become employed in governmental or not-for-profit organisations, museums and architecture and interior design practices.

Applications to this course have now closed.

Top image: biofabrication method experimentation by student Julia Briere.

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